Apple to Announce iPad Mini at Event?

AppleUPDATE: Apple unveiled a smaller iPad on Tuesday, what it calls the iPad mini, meant to compete with other small tablets currently on the market. It’s as thin as a pencil, fits right in your hand and has its smallest price point ever, says Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller. The comapny says it will begin taking pre-orders for the new iPad Mini starting this Friday.

(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — Apple plans to show us a “little more” on Tuesday.

Will it be an iPad Mini? A smaller, 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro with retina display? The regular iPad with the new lighting dock connector?

All those are rumored, but come Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. PT, we will know just what Apple has in store when the company makes its latest announcement at the California Theater in San Jose.

The iPad Mini is rumored to have a 7.85-inch screen, 3G and 4G cellular connectivity, and run iOS 6, the operating system Apple released last month for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple is also expected to announce some Mac products, including a higher resolution 13-inch MacBook Pro.